Box-shaped steel sleeper



AP 15, 1940- v. A. PETKOVIC 2,

BOX-SHAPED STEEL SLEEPER Filed Dec. 2, 1936 $86 lmslvrw flwMPH/mwc INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 16, 1940 PATE FFiCE BOX- SHAPED STEEL SLEEPER Valentin Anton Petkovic, Berlin, Germany ApplicationDecem ber 2, 1936, Serial No. 113,753 In Germany December 4, 1935 Claims.

The present invention relates to a steel sleeper of a box-shaped design, showing the advantages of great strength and durability, of easy laying and of simple and cheap manufacture. According to my invention the steel sleeper consists of a T-iron the head of which is lying on the ballast; on the top of its web a steel plate with a wedgeshaped tie plate and with lateral plate-shaped flanges connecting the plate with the iron head is supported, preferably being fixed by' welding. The steel sleeper ShOWs a box-shaped design filled, when laid, by packing or pouring with compression resisting material. The T-iron consists suitably of a continuous steel band of a T-shaped section and of convenient thickness, wherefrom pieces are cut in the lengths as needed for the sleepers. The top plate supporting the rail'also is made from continuous material, from a steel band rolled or pressed into the necessary section, whereby both the wedge-shaped tie plate and the lateral flanges are made of onepiece with the supporting plate and may bemanufactured in one continuous process. Suitably the connection of the web of the T-iron with the top plate and of the lateral end flanges with the iron head is made by electric welding. One end of the boxshaped sleeper may be closed by plates. The fastening of the rails on the top plate may be made by means of hooked bolts or by common rail 30 spikes; furthermore on the one side, suitably on the outward side of the rail, a hooked jaw integral with the plate may be fixed, whereas the inward fastening of the rail may be efiected on this cross-sleeper by one or more detachable jaws, hooked bolts or rail spikes. At the rail joints the sleepers according to the present invention may be connected with suitable girders lying on the ballast and bridging the rail joint.

In the accompanying drawing one embodiment of a steel sleeper according to the invention is shown in Fig. 1 in front elevation, in Fig, 2 in side elevation and in Fig. 3 as seen from above. Figs. 4 and 5 show detachable inside jaws; Figs. 6 and 7 show a connection at the joint of two rails, Fig. 8 a girder suitable to support the joint; Fig. 9 represents a modified embodiment of the channel shaped top plate.

Each rail l is supported on a wedge-shaped tie plate 3 of a steel plate 2, having a hooked jaw t, 50 fastening the outward flange of the rail. The

hooked jaw 4 may be formed by rolling or bending over when plate 2 is manufactured. But any other fastening means may be chosen, e. g., by hooked bolts as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or by usual 55 rail bolts or by screw plates or, if the space within the box-sleeper is filledvwith timber, also by elastic rail spikes. With this example of an embodiment the inner jaw consists of a hooked bolt 1 with two or more legs 8, 9, fitted through openings 6 into the fiat part 5 of the plate 2 and on the thread of which nuts l9 are screwed. from the inside. The plates 2 with the flanges l2, 13 may be produced by bending and shaping a continuous steel band or'strip. In this way a successive number of members may be formed on the band with wedge-shaped portions 3 and the jaw 4 as a continuous vertical rib and then hookedly formed. The continuous band is then out into the required sections, each having a plate 2, flanges l2, l3, wedge-shaped portion 3 and jaw 4. In- 15 stead of the hooked jaws also several single hooked bolts til, it of Fig. 5 or, if filled with timber, usual rail spikes may be used. Instead of fastening by separate or singly detachable jaws also a hooked sole plate or a chair with two in v tegral jaws one on each'side, e. g., the so called English chair may be applied, fixed on the rolled channel-shaped top plate .or supporting plate 2 for instance by Welding.

The plate 3 is supported on the web i5 turned ,25 upwards, whereas its head l4 lies on the ballast. The head it is fitted with lateral flanges I6, I! for better support. The lateral flanges I2, I3 of the top plate 2 connect the latter with the head I l. The lateral flanges l2, 13 may overlap the flanges i6, ll of the head 14 terminating below equally with them, whereby the fixation is facilitated and strengthened. At one end this boxshapedv design may be closed by plates 18. All the parts advantageously .are welded together. The space formed in the interior of this boxshaped sleeper may be filled with any material resisting compression, e. g., with ballasting material, wood blocks or by filling it up with cement or the like, whereby a particularly strong and durable construction is obtained. The packing with filling material at this design can be executed in a most simple manner. By the broad head plate M of the T-iron a very stable bedding of the sleeper is obtained. The complete sleeper consists thus of three essential parts with only two difierent rolled sections, namely a T- iron I4, l5, l5, l1 and the two channel-shaped sole-plates 2 for the two rails.

Furthermore this arrangement has the ad- 5 vantage, that with it a strong support of the rail joints may be executed in a simple way, since the supporting plates ,2 of this box-shaped sleeper facilitate a connection with bridging plates bearing the rail joint. This connection is shown in one example by Figs. 6 to 8. The support of the rail joint la, lb consists therewith of a girder 22 with two flanges 23, lying on the ballast or filled by same. The plate 22 of the girder being on top is connected to the two neighboring box-shaped sleepers 20, 2| in such a manner, that each end 26 of the plate 22 interlocks with a corresponding notch 21 of the jaw 24a and 24b respectively of the top plates of these sleepers, whereby a stable seat of the supporting plate is obtained. Under certain circumstances the plate 22 may be joined also by welding to the carrying plate of the sleepers and the securing between the girder and the sleepers may be improved by angle pieces 25. Therewith a strong seat for the rail joints is obtained, whereby the heavy shocks when passing over the rail joints are avoided.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, I declare that what I claim is:

1. A device of the character described for use on railway beds, comprising two rigid members united with each other, one of said members including a plate to prop a rail thereon, the other of said members being of inverted T-shape and supporting said one of said members, both'of said members being provided with downwardly directed vertical lateral walls forming channelshaped spaces therebetween for receivingballast therein, said walls of the one of said members being contiguous with and of greater length than the walls of the other of said members, a portion of said other of said members providing a closure plate upon which the lateral walls of said one of said members rest, the lateral walls of said other of said members being insertable into said bed.

2. A device of the character described for use on railway beds, comprising two rigid members, one of said members relatively arranged to and above the other of said members, the upper member having a plate to prop a rail thereon, the lower of said members supporting said upper member, said lower member having a head plate and being of inverted T-shape, both of said members being provided with downwardly directed vertical walls forming channel-shaped spaces therebetween for receiving ballast therein, said walls being on each side alignedly fixed respectively to each other, a portion of said T-shaped member cooperating with both of said members providing a partition between said walls of said upper member, and means uniting said upper with said lower member.

3. A device of the character described for use on railway beds, comprising two rigid members, a plate-like member and an inverted T-shaped tie member, respectively, said plate-like member for propping a rail, said tie member having a 5 head plate, and a web and supporting said platelike member, both of said members being provided with downwardly directed vertical lateral walls forming spaces therebetween, said Walls of said plate-like member engaging with and being 1 of greater length than said walls of said tie member, the free ends of said walls of both members being conterminous, said web cooperating with both of said members and forming a partition between said walls of said plate-like member, said 1 spaces between said walls of both of said members receiving ballast, and means uniting said platelike member with said tie member.

4. In a device of the character described for use on railway beds, a rigid plate-like member hav- 2 ing on the top surface thereof a wedge-shaped portion and a clamping element for facilitating the attachment of a rail thereon, said member being provided with downwardly turned vertical walls providing a ballast receiving space therebe- 2 tween, a rigid inverted T-shaped tie member having a web, a head plate in contact with said downwardly turned vertical walls and laterally disposed walls depending from said head plate providing a, ballast receiving space therebetween, 3 said web secured to said plate-like member and forming a partition between its walls, and additional means uniting said plate-like member with said tie member.

5. In a device of the character described for use 3 on railway beds, a rigid plate-like member having on its top surface means for securing a rail thereon, laterally disposed vertical walls depending from said surface, a rigid inverted T- shaped tie member supporting said first-named 4 member, said tie member having a'web, a head plate secured to said laterally disposed vertical walls and lateral downturned vertical walls on said head plate providing a ballast-receiving space 'therebetween, said web extending from said head plate to said 'plate-like'm'ember and providing a partition between said walls of said firstnamed member, closing means at the end of said plate-like member to complete with said laterally disposed vertical walls pockets for receiving ballasting material, and means uniting said platelike member with said tie member.

I VALENTIN ANTON PETKOVIC. I5

Immune-mater l, 

